What do Recruiters Write on Resumes During a Job Interview?

You look over at your interviewer. She is writing notes on the side of your resume. Ever wonder what she is writing? If you understand what recruiters and search executives write in their notes, you will learn how to perform better in your interview. Here’s a brief guide to recruiter shorthand.

TMI - Too much information

You’ve probably heard that one before in another context. The meaning isn’t that different. In the recruiting business, this acronym applies to candidates who give answers that are way too long. These long-winded answers cause a number of problems. They cause the interviewer to stop paying attention. They create confusion about the core answer message. Sometimes these long answers also include information that makes the interviewer think less of the job candidate.

PP – Poor Presentation

Some job seekers lose the job by the time they shake hands with the interviewer. These are the individuals who act entirely unprofessional. Unprofessional behavior includes being dressed incorrectly, acting rudely towards the receptionist, clicking pens or tapping feet, twirling hair or chewing gum. It can also include very poor posture. Remember, your interviewer might see you from the moment you step out of the car. So be professional from then on.

FD – Factual Discrepancy

Recruiters will writes this down if they notice a discrepancy between what your resume says and what you are saying in your interview answers. One common example is fake academic credentials. A job seeker may have taken a couple of classes at some school, and try to make it look like they earned a degree instead.

Sometimes these discrepancies are accidental. For example, a resume could say, “led 6 projects”, yet a job seeker may say he worked on 10 projects during the interview. Both could be true (led 6 projects, helped out on 4 more to make 10). Avoid such inadvertent discrepancies by reviewing your own resume before an interview.

NC – Non-Communicator

Some job seekers fail to look the interviewer in the eye, speak in sentence fragments, muddy up the main ideas for each of their answers, or lack confidence in what they are saying. They are dubbed NC for their lack of communication skills.

USiz, DSiz – Up Sizzle and Down Sizzle

There are some job seekers who make Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh look like as a rock star. Their lack of “sizzle” gets interviewers less than enthused about hiring them. Other candidates show energy and passion for what they are saying. This energy conveys confidence for their answers and makes both their accomplishments seem real and their interest in the job seem real.

SV – Search Virgin

Some job seekers make a critical mistake. They think that recruiters are like sports agents, that the recruiters are there to get them placed into a job. That’s not accurate. Recruiters are more like the talent scouts of sports teams. Like scouts, their goal is to help the organization get the right person, not to make sure that any one person gets hired. When these confused job seekers have to compete for a position, they get angry with their recruiters. This misbehavior looks totally unprofessional and ends their chances.

OW – On Walkabout

Some job candidates seem to be talking to ever recruiter on the market. They reach out for opportunities that don’t fit with their experience or expertise because they want to get a job. Their job search looks desperate. And recruiters start to wonder if there is something more to be concerned about.